India plans introduce pan-India mobile number portability from April 2015, pending approval from the nation's ICT minister.
The Telecom Comission has signed off on regulator Trai's recommendations on the introduction of pan-India MNP, leaving only the minister's approval required, Times of Indiareported.
India's telecom market is divided into 22 circles. At present, if a mobile user moves to a new circle, he or she has to either change mobile numbers or pay STD charges on calls. Cross-circle MNP will instead allow customers to keep their numbers when they move.
Trai had initially planned to order operators to introduce cross-border MNP within six months of making a recommendation in September last year, but the Telecom Commission was still evaluating the proposed policy.
Indian regulators have been considering abolishing cross-circle roaming rates for years, and introducing national MNP could be a step towards this goal.
India's mobile market was relatively late in introducing MNP capabilities.